Critical Thinking in the 21st Century
Critical Thinking in the 21st Century
"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action" - (Scriven, 1996)
Thinking critically goes beyond having thoughts run through our mind. It’s observing a situation or problem, analyzing it, and creating a plan of action through drawing conclusions from the assessment.
So what exactly does that mean? What is the difference between thinking and thinking critically?
When thinking critically one must not only consider the “what” but also the “why”, and “how”. If there is a problem that has occurred at work or at school the first step is to acknowledge and observe that there is a problem.
What: Observation
Observational skills are the starting point for critical thinking. People who are observant can quickly identify a new problem. Those skilled in observation are also capable of understanding why something might be a problem.
Why: Analysis
Once a problem or situation has been identified this is where one begins thinking about why the problem has occurred. What is the source of the problem? Analysis is being able to observe a situation, data, or a problem and be able to see trends, outcomes, or understand the meaning behind the results.
How: Inference
Inference is a skill that involves drawing conclusions about the information you collect and may require you to possess technical or industry-specific knowledge or experience.
When you make an inference, that means you are developing answers based on limited information.
Critical thinking strategies
Identify/analyze the problem
Research: the problem at hand as well as solutions
Inference: hypothesize the potential outcomes along with the solutions
Create a plan or strategy around the problem you see with the solutions you researched and inferred.
Act: It’s one thing to research and to think, it is important to take actionable steps
Critical thinking and your School Based Enterprise
Take these steps outlined above and apply them to your Spirit Box or your other school based enterprise. Within a business critical thinking is necessary to be able to thrive. Every business will encounter problems or failures but it’s how you move forward. Remember, encountering problems or making mistakes is all part of running a business. Applying critical thinking to these hiccups will allow your business to move forward productively.